A fabric having an intersia pattern can be formed by knitting the fabric with different yarns by switching several yarn feeders, when one course is knitted, without separating the fabric.
When the fabric having the intarsia pattern is knitted, as shown in FIG. 11, plural yarn feeders 12a and 12b are slidably disposed on a knitting yarn guide rail. The yarn feeder 12a feeds yarn to a first knitting region A, the yarn feeder 12b feeds yarn to a second knitting region B, and the yarn feeder 12a is replaced with the yarn feeder 12b at respective yarn changing point. However, when the yarn feeder 12a has fed yarn to a leftmost knitting needle of knitting needles for knitting in knitting region A from a right side, the yarn feeder 12a has already passed through a point P1 and is positioned leftward thereof.
Accordingly, when the yarn feeder 12a is at this position, a problem occurs in that knitting yarn extending in an obliquely lower right direction from the yarn feeder 12a is erroneously fed to a knitting needle for knitting in next knitting region B.
To eliminate this problem, a yarn feeder disclosed in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 61-51061 has been proposed.
In the yarn feeder of this publication, of yarn feeders stopped on a knitting yarn guide rail by a brake unit, a yarn feeding port of a yarn feeder selected by a bringing device is first moved from a waiting position to a feeding position approaching knitting needles by sliding the bringing device, and then a braking force is released.
When the bringing device subsequently slides, the yarn feeder is brought thereby and feeds yarn to a predetermined knitting needle so that a predetermined region is knitted therewith. Then, the yarn feeder is released from the bringing device and stopped by the brake unit.
When the yarn feeder further slides in a state that the yarn feeder is stopped by the brake unit, the yarn feeding port of the yarn feeder is switched from the feeding position to a waiting position that is moved inward of a knitted region from the feeding position to prevent a problem of a knitting needle in an adjacent knitting region being erroneously fed with yarn.
In the yarn feeder of this proposal, however, a series of operations for switching the yarn feeding port of the yarn feeder from the waiting position to the feeding position, releasing a braking force, bringing the yarn feeder, and switching the yarn feeding port of the yarn feeder from the feeding position to the waiting position, inward of a knitted fabric region, from the feeding position is executed while the yarn feeder travels from a time before it is brought to a time after it is brought. Accordingly, a sliding distance of the bringing device, which is required to execute the above operations, is increased, and hence a size of the yarn feeder is increased at a portion thereof operated by the bringing device. This problem of an increase in size of the yarn feeder also occurs in a yarn feeder disclosed in, for example, Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 3-23662 and the like.
When the size of the yarn feeder is increased, a weight thereof is increased, and a shock, which is generated when, for example, the bringing device brings the yarn feeder at a high speed, is increased, which makes it necessary to reinforce an apparatus in its entirety.
An object of the present invention, which was proposed in view of the above problems, is to provide yarn feeders for a flat knitting machine capable of switching a yarn feeding port from a feeding position to a waiting position in a short traveling distance of a bringing device without increasing a size of a portion selected and brought by the bringing device. In a time during which the yarn feeder selected by the bringing means is brought from a stop state, the yarn feeder port is switched from the waiting position outside the knitting area to the feeding position as well as the yarn feeder port after the selection is cancelled is switched to swing toward out side of the knitting area.